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Recently, we went to Ottawa, Ontario to the Wesley Clover Raceway. This location is fast and flat and gives the runners an opportunity to really fly around the Mud Girl course. This 5KM loop gave first-timers a good perspective of what the sport is about in a fun and safe way.
As the racing season begins to ramp up for us Canadians, it is nice to start with a few local, fast, flat events. We headed off to Mud Hero in Ottawa, Ontario to the excellent location at the Commando Action Centre, if you get a chance to check out their website the drone overhead shots are FAB.
Ever since starting my journey into the world of OCR, I had heard about these so-called ‘Tough Mudders’ and quite honestly, I never understood the desire to race to that extreme for a mere headband. Fast forward five years later and over 114 races and I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about.
We piled into the car and headed a short drive to 5K Foam Fest in Belleville Ontario at Zwicks Centennial Park. It is conveniently located on the shores of Lake Ontario and offered some great views and parkland settings
After each Spartan event, I vow to never do another. I cuss the entire up hill climb and curse as I descend carrying a bucket full of rocks or a sandbag draped across my shoulders. And yet, once again, I found myself lined up waiting for our release onto the mountain to begin the dreaded climb that at times felt relentless. We opted for the competitive wave to get onto the course before the afternoon heat set in and headed off at 0900hrs.
Every so often you find a race that really does fit your personality. For me, it is Mud Hero, and yes, I like getting dirty, I like romping around with lots of obstacles to keep me entertained and I love a flat course so I don’t overdo it. This race returned to Commando Paintball located just outside of Ottawa.
As the racing season swings into high gear, we traveled 4 hours East to Owl’s Head in Mansonville, Quebec, Canada for the Spartan weekend. This challenging location offers a vertical incline of 540 m (1,770 feet) with a top elevation of 756 m (2, 480 feet). The base elevation alone is 216 m (709 feet).
Even though the temperature dipped to a frosty -23 degrees, it did not cool the excitement that was building at the Eagle’s Nest racing event -Ragnarok. This prime location is situated in the heart of Smiths Falls, Ontario and the race offered three separate events; a family heat starting at 4 PM where groups could work their way through the 5-6KM course under sunny skies and receive a beautiful carved stone medal.
Well, it seems this is becoming an annual charity event for our racing group. This is the third year we have ventured east, and it is always a new challenge when it comes to the weather. This night was no exception to that rule. Previous years were pouring rain or knee deep snow with frigid wind chills; this time brought us pea soup fog and a sprinkle of mild drizzle. Meaning the snow, was non-existent and icy patches dotted the trails adding an element of potential dread.
When I first heard about Zombie Run for Humanity, I was a bit skeptical. I had tried zombie races before and many of them lacked either the characters (volunteers, makeup, costumes) or the obstacles were less than challenging. To my surprise, the Zombie Run for Humanity managed to do well in both categories.
